Prevalence and statistics of suicide in different countries of the world

The study of the prevalence and statistics of suicides in various regions and countries of the world has attracted increasing attention from suicidologists in recent years. In scientific terms, it is much more correct to compare the rates of completed suicides, since the recording and registration of suicide attempts is carried out in different ways around the world and nowhere does it claim to cover such cases completely.

According to WHO data presented in the World Health Report 2001, the age-standardized prevalence rate of completed suicides, taken as the average for 53 countries with all the necessary data, is 15.1 per 100,000 population per year. The suicide rate for men is 24, and for women - 6.8 per 100,000. Thus, the ratio of men and women who commit suicide is 3.5:1.

Suicides are among the three leading causes of death in the 15-34 age group, which is typical for both sexes [WHO, 2001]. A comparison of the place of suicides in the mortality structure of this age group in European countries and China showed that in Europe, suicide as a cause of death ranks second (after transport accidents) in the general population and among men, and third (after oncological diseases and transport accidents) among women. In China, the picture is somewhat different: in the 15-34 age group, suicides rank first among causes of death for women and in the general population, and third among men. Thus, despite some differences, both Western and Eastern societies are losing people of the most productive age.

Considering that the suicide rate is one of the most important and objective indicators of the social state of the country, public mental health and quality of life of the population, the WHO has adopted a scale for assessing the magnitude of this indicator. Within this scale, three levels of suicide rate are distinguished: low - up to 10 cases per 100,000 population; average - 10-20; high, or "critical", - more than 20 cases.

The most prosperous group in terms of suicidology with a low suicide rate, not exceeding 10 per 100,000 population, are the countries of southern Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece, Albania), the British states (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland); Holland, Norway and Ireland, as well as most countries of the African continent. The lowest suicide rates (0-5 per 100,000) are found in the countries of the Arab East, in particular in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain.

Prevalence of suicides in different countries of the world

Suicide rate	Frequency (per 100,000 population)	Countries
Short	0-10	Countries of the Arab East (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, etc.) Most African countries Countries of Southern Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece, Albania) British States (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) Holland, Norway, Ireland
Average	10-20	USA, Israel, Australia Southeast Asian countries (Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Singapore, Japan) Some European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal, France)
High	20 and more	Eastern European countries (Russia, Ukraine, Hungary) Baltic countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden, Denmark) Central European countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)

The group with an average suicide prevalence rate includes the United States - 11.7 per 100,000 population, a number of European countries (Belgium, France, Portugal, Bulgaria, Poland), a significant number of Asian countries (including Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong), as well as

Israel and Australia. In most of the countries listed, the suicide rate fluctuates between 13-15 per 100,000 population.

Countries with high suicide rates include some Eastern European countries, including Russia; the Baltic States, Scandinavian countries, as well as Austria, Germany and Switzerland. According to the well-known Hungarian suicidologist Z.Rihmer (2002), in recent years the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), Russia, Hungary, Denmark and Finland have been at the top of the world suicide rate rankings - 35 or more cases per 100,000 population.

Naturally, such a wide range of indicators requires a scientific interpretation of the differences in the frequency of suicides in the world, so it is logical to move on to an analysis of existing points of view on the causes of this phenomenon.

First of all, it should be noted that it is not possible to find a universal explanation for the differences in suicide rates in different countries of the world, which once again confirms the complex and multifactorial nature of suicidal behavior. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the WHO indication that even in countries with stable suicide rates, these data may hide important differences concerning individual social strata. In particular, the stable suicide rate in Australia, Chile, Japan, Spain, and Cuba in recent years hides their growth among men due to a decrease in the corresponding indicator among women.

Most often, differences in suicide rates are linked to the socio-economic state of society, implying that during periods of social depression and crisis, the frequency of suicides increases.

Social and economic crises traditionally attract the attention of scientists from different countries to search for a connection between unemployment and suicides. Such correlations were found in Japan during the "oil" crisis of 1973, in Mexico during the economic crisis of 1995, and also in developing countries with unstable economies, such as Trinidad and Tobago. A high frequency of suicides has been registered in Canada among people living in poverty with low social integration; in similar social strata of the population of Western Europe, especially in English-speaking countries, in Germany, Norway.

The closest connection between unemployment and the number of suicides was found in the USA, where during the Great Depression the suicide rate increased by 1.5 times, and after its end it decreased to the initial values. There is also information that during the general crisis associated with the Second World War, the frequency of suicides in Japan decreased by more than 2 times, and after the end of the war it quickly returned to the initial level.

Factors that traditionally contribute to the increase in suicide rates include high levels of alcohol consumption (Russia, the Baltic States), easy access to toxic substances (China, India, Sri Lanka), and free sale of weapons (USA, El Salvador). It is clear that the factors listed are only some of the many components in the range of causes of suicidal behavior.

Of course, the prevalence of suicides is also affected by the prevalence of mental illnesses. This aspect of the problem will be considered by us in a separate section of this chapter.

The lack of sufficiently convincing explanations for the existing differences in the frequency of suicides in different countries of the world prompted us to pay special attention to a set of factors associated with the ethnocultural characteristics of peoples. As an example, we can cite Japan with its traditional forms of suicide ("hara-kiri", "kamikaze", etc.), which were not subject to social taboos. In a slightly modified form, this tradition has been preserved in modern Japan, where, according to K. Tatai (1971) and K. Ohara (1971), more than 4% of all suicides are "shinyu" (paired suicides). Of these, 60% are "suicide contracts" between lovers who have obstacles to marriage, and 40% are "family shinyu" - joint suicides of parents (usually mothers) and children.

Racial characteristics of suicide have been studied most thoroughly in the USA. J. Green and E. Christian (1977) found that the suicide rate among African Americans is 3 times lower than among the white population of the country. These data were confirmed by A. Copeland (1989) using materials from the state of Florida. In addition, according to G. Gowitt (1986), black residents of the state of Georgia, unlike whites, do not have a tendency for the number of suicides to increase. White Americans also have a higher suicide rate than Latin Americans and Puerto Ricans living in the country. Thus, most American authors note a greater susceptibility to suicidal behavior among the white population of the country. In fairness, it should be noted that in the literature one can also find statements about the lack of influence of ethnocultural factors on the prevalence of suicides, but this opinion is not supported by most suicidologists.

An attempt was made to analyze the most well-known factors associated with the prevalence of suicides in different countries of the world.

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Geographical factor

The region with the highest suicide prevalence is Europe. In all other parts of the world, there are no countries with a high (according to WHO criteria) suicide rate.

Socio-economic factor

There is certainly a connection between the frequency of suicides and the socio-economic state of the country. However, its peculiarity is that it reflects not the level of socio-economic development of the state itself, but one or another crisis situation in society, characterized by political, social and economic upheavals. This is confirmed, on the one hand, by the high prevalence of suicides in a number of highly developed and stable countries, and on the other hand, by the high frequency of suicides in Russia and other former socialist countries experiencing problems of the transition period.

Suicide statistics and the religious factor

All major world religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism) have a negative attitude towards suicide, considering it a religiously forbidden act, entailing the judgment of God and man. Accordingly, suicides were not given funeral services in church or buried next to other people (Christianity), and burials were not carried out before sunset (Islam).

Understanding that even the strictest religious guidelines are not able to completely prevent suicides, the question still arises: what are the reasons for the differences in their frequency among representatives of different faiths? In our opinion, the answer to this question reflects the forms of religious behavior of people that have developed to date in different nations and cultures, i.e. the peculiarities of their adherence to religious canons and requirements.

Let's start with Islam, which denies even the possibility of a devout Muslim attempting to take his own life. The Koran obliges Muslim believers to endure all the hardships sent down by Allah, and even the thought of the possibility of escaping these hardships by committing suicide is the height of blasphemy. Atheism is practically non-existent in Islamic countries, and sacred requirements are observed in an extremely orthodox manner, so the suicide rate there is extremely low.

A similar situation is observed among people of the Jewish faith. In this religious group of the population, suicides are very rare. The average (according to WHO criteria) level of suicide frequency in Israel is due to the large proportion of people who came from different countries and do not share the ideas of Judaism.

In the countries of the Christian world, the frequency of suicides depends, on the one hand, on the share of atheists and "conditional believers", i.e. people who do not perform the established religious duties, but only focus on some Christian commandments chosen by themselves. On the other hand, the level of suicides to a certain extent depends on the dominant direction of the Christian religion. A comparison of these parameters indicates a higher level of suicides in countries where Protestantism occupies a leading position, somewhat lower in Catholic countries and even lower in Orthodox states in religious terms. Such a distribution correlates with the degree of orthodoxy required of believers in observing the canons: the highest among the Orthodox and the most flexible among Protestants.

Overall, none of the analyzed factors can sufficiently explain the differences in the prevalence of suicides in the world. This prompted us to continue the search and pay attention to another factor - ethnocultural.

An analysis of the ethnicity of the peoples with the highest suicide rates showed that, despite all the differences between them in geographic, socio-economic and religious terms, they represent only three ethnic groups: Finno-Ugric, Baltic and Germanic.

Thus, the Finno-Ugric group includes Finns, Hungarians, Estonians, as well as the Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia - Mordvins, Udmurts, Komi, Mari, Karelians, Khanty, Mansi. The Baltic ethnic group is represented by Latvians and Lithuanians, the Germanic - by Germans, Austrians, Swiss (German-speaking), Danes and Swedes.

Thus, the analysis of various factors influencing the prevalence of suicides in the world has shown that only the ethnocultural affiliation of the population forms a fairly clear and consistent connection with the level of suicide frequency. Consequently, it can be said with a sufficient degree of correctness that suicide is an ethnoculturally dependent phenomenon. Therefore, knowledge and consideration of ethnocultural factors are of the utmost importance both for research in the field of suicidology and in practical activities to prevent suicides. As already noted, information on the frequency of suicides in Russia began to be selectively published in the open press only since 1988, so when analyzing the prevalence of suicides in the country, we can operate with indicators that have been counted since 1990. At the same time, it is this period that is of the greatest interest from the standpoint of the relationship between the social situation in the country and the number of suicides committed, since in the 1990s radical changes took place in all spheres of life in the country, which for the majority of the population were of the nature of massive stress.